TF01 3,The Best Of Both Worlds 4,Season 3, Episode 26 Reviewed by Marcus Priddey ---------------------------- Plot synopsis: Stardate 43989.1, the USS Enterprise is sent to investigate why one of the Federation's colonies have stopped transmitting anything. Upon beaming down to the New Providence colony, Riker and his away team find nothing but a high crater where a city used to be. After advising Starfleet of their findings they receive Admiral Hansen and his aide, Lt. Cmdr Shelby, a fiery, ambitious woman who informs Captain Picard that they were not expecting the Borg this soon. Starfleet's first meeting with this species was over 7,000 light years away courteousy of Q in system J25. However, in that meeting the Borg left some magnetic resonances, a Borg "footprint" which will confirm whether it was the Borg that caused the devastation on the planet's surface. Whilst Cmdr Riker is escorting Shelby to her quarters we discover that Riker has been offered a ship of his own, but has turned it down for the third time, much to the annoyance of Shelby who wants Riker's job as First Officer for the Enterprise. Next morning, without consulting Cmdr Riker, Shelby takes Data down to the colony where she finds the same "footprint". It IS the Borg. Admiral Hansen then leaves for Starbase 324 to marshall Starfleet's ships to combat this menace. Meanwhile, Riker is beginning to wonder why he is still aboard the Enterprise and not in command of his own vessel after which he attends a meeting in engineering where we learn that the Borg's power is de-centralised and that well over 78% of their ship will have to be damaged before they will be affected. In a communique from Adml Hansen we learn that Starbase 157 received a distress call from the USS Lalo which reported contact with a vessel described as "cube-shaped" before communication was lost. The Enterprise is diverted to investigate where fairly soon they have engaged the Borg who want Picard to beam aboard their ship. Riker and Shelby are confused - the Borg were only interested in technology, not people. After exchanging phaser fire, the Enterprise hides in the nearby Pulson Nebula. The Borg then flood the Nebula with magnetic charges to drive them out at a hasty warp 9. The Enterprise tries to evade them but to no avail, the Borg lock on and transport Cptn Picard over to their ship where he is informed that he will be a voice for the Borg to facilitate their introduction. Meanwhile their course has been computed - they are on a direct heading to Sector 001, the Terran system. Riker now wants to lead an away team to rescue his superior officer, but is told it would be innapropriate so he orders Shelby to go, who later finds the Captains uniform in a drawer. In order to get the Borg to slow down before the Enterprise must power down, Shelby and her away team focus phaser fire on some power nodules which get the Borg's attention. Whilst this is going on, Dr. Crusher sees the Captain who has been partially changed into a Borg. Upon beaming back to the Enterprise and informing Cmdr Riker of this they are hailed by the Borg ship. We see Picard step forward and deliver the message of, "I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward you will service us.". Riker orders the main deflector dish brought on line, which is the only thing capable of producing the high band electromagnetic pulse which will seriously damage the Borg ship. He then gives the order, "Fire!". To be continued... Comments: One of the best Next Gen stories that has been written. The script is superb and the acting brilliant which creates an atmosphere that will have you on the edge of your seats. I particularly like the conflict between Riker and Shelby, who you start off disliking but that changes when you realise, as RIker does, that she resembles him in a lot of ways. The effects were also great, especially where Riker, Data and LaForge are looking at the crater where New Providence Colony once stood and where we see the Enterprise next to the Borg ship (if NCC 1701-D is four times the size of the original, then that Borg ship is HUGE!). The Borg are a fantastic enemy, better than the Klingons or Romulans ever were in the way that they are emotionless and act in the absolute certainty that they WILL get what they want. On the whole - BRILLIANT! 10/10 Reviewed by Sven Harvey ------------------------- A distress signal is recieved from one of the Federation colonies and magnetic readings reveal that the Borg have encroached into Federation territory and Starfleet is put on red alert. The Borg ship intercepts the Enterprise and after a game of cat and mouse through a couple of solar systems and a very Mutara like nebula, Captain Picard is captured and taken to the Borg ship. An away team led by Borg specialist Commander Shelby board the Borg vessel to find that Jean- Luc has been turned into a Borg - Locutus. Meanwhile Wesley, Geordi and the engineering team have converted the navigational deflector into a powerful energy weapon with which, on hearing that Picard is no longer human, let loose at the Borg cube... Okay, this is probably one of the best stories (some think it is the best), but it has its fair share of flaws on the technical side of things. "Best of Both Worlds Part 1" is dramatically excellent and I have no qualms about the dramatic sense of the story but little details bug me. Firstly is the speed at which the Borg convert Captain Picard into Locutus. With the amount of implantation involved there is NO WAY they had him ready in the time they had. Secondly why would it have taken the Borg so long to attack? They had attacked the Neutral Zone in season 1 and that ship had either gone to system J25 in a short period of time for "Q Who?" or another Borg vessel was in the Alpha/Beta Quadrant area after "The Neutral Zone". Yet Starfleet were `expecting more time'!